Beacon
by Carys Valerian
Summary: The day the ships came, Beacon was no longer free, and neither was I. There is someone out there in this world who was meant to save us, but after years of waiting and praying, I have decided that it is time to save myself. Yet, freedom can be more dangerous that what I'd left behind. A slave girl's journey to shape a nation, save her people, and learn what makes true love.


**A/N: Hello there, and thanks for opening my newest story _Beacon_. Rest assured that I will continue to work on the others, but I couldn't get this whole opening scene out of my head, and so it had to be written. If that's ever happened to you, you'll understand how tortuous that feeling is! I really hope you enjoy it! As always, it's a little different from my other works, but I really do hope that I'm improving the more practice writing I get! **

**A special thanks to my wonderful friend Sheena, who is helping me with editing, and letting me know if my world building and plot is making sense! (SOmetimes what makes perfect sense to me doesn't to everyone else, so I definitely need help with that sometimes.) That being said, I'd adore any Beta offers for my other works too! **

**And my usual 'if you have any songs that remind you of the story while you read, please let me know in a review or PM' still applies! **

**God Bless,**

**C.V.**

Prologue-

The day that the ships came was the day that life in Aegea changed forever. What started out as a single boat with great, white sails suddenly became hundreds- so many that they blotted out the morning sun.

I had seen nine summers that year, and was the tallest amongst all of my friends, even though I was the only girl in the group of village children my age. Still, my height gave me an air of superiority over them all, and I enjoyed being able to tell the boys what we would do and how exactly we would go about doing it.

That day, we'd been playing cat and mouse on the beach, and I'd elected Eborous, a boy a year my junior, to be the cat. The rest of us were meant to run away from him as fast as we could, dodging and darting through the sand as if we were true mice, and not children at all. Verocles, a stout boy with a grumpy disposition hated being the cat, and I knew he'd stop playing if I picked him, and Gabriyel- well Gabriyel made the worst cat of them all, since his legs were so weak he could barely run after us. Our small group of friends always included him, since his mother always took good care of us, but we didn't chase after him if we could help it. As soon as he was the cat, the game was over unless one of us let him catch us- and that person certainly wasn't going to be me. I was fiercely competitive, after all, being the only girl made me feel the constant need to prove myself.

We hadn't been playing for very long when Gabriyel noticed the ships in the distance. Despite the fact he wasn't the most proficient runner, he was probably the most observant of us all, especially since the rest of us were far too occupied with being chased to notice.

"Liran!" he shouted as he hobbled closer to the shoreline. "Look!" His bony fingers pointed towards the white sails in the distance, and together, the four of us watched as they drew closer and closer. Soon, we weren't the only ones looking, and a large crowd had gathered on the beach to observe their approach alongside us, murmuring in worried confusion.

"What do you think they want?" Eborous asked, clinging a little closer to the rest of us, as if we might actually have the answer.

"Probably to take Gabe back to whatever weird place he came from," Verocles joked, and I looked to see my friend's face turn even paler than it already was. Most of the people in Aegea were dark-haired and tanned by the sun, but Gabriyel took after his foreign mother, and was very fair. The others in the village liked to tease him about his differences, and I often felt the prickles of protectiveness rise when they did. He might have been a little timid, but Gabriyel was kind and worked hard despite the fact he had a weak body and constitution.

To remind Verocles that I didn't appreciate his humor, I curled my hand into a fist and punched him squarely in the jaw, shaking my hand out afterwards.

"Ouch!" he cried out, instantly moving his hand over where I'd struck him to soothe it even though I hadn't done it very hard.

"That isn't nice Verocles. Everyone knows that Gabriyel belongs here with us, and I don't want to hear another word about it," I insisted, wrapping my arm around my friend's shoulders as if to shield him from any further torment. He turned a little red, but smiled a little in appreciation.

"Thanks, Liran," he whispered, and I sighed before shaking my head.

"I'm happy to stick-up for you Gabe, but you really ought to defend yourself," I scolded, almost as if I were his mother. Sometimes, I almost felt like I was, since we _were_ best friends after all. Somehow I'd always thought that our friendship meant that I was in charge of making sure that he was defended from anything that might harm him, and it was a job I took incredibly seriously.

"But he _is_ right, I don't belong here," the boy murmured, rubbing his hands through his gold hair in desperation.

"You were born here, same as us, and Aegean's always look out for our own," I replied confidently, tossing a look of annoyance to the other boys. I'd heard my father say the very same thing many times, and was proud at the fact that I was able to quote him so thoroughly. As the mayor of Beacon, the capital city of Aegea, he often had to deal with the misunderstandings of the population. Minor disputes, he could certainly handle on his own, often with words of wisdom such as the ones I'd just used, but anything truly problematic he sent to King Cyrus, the ruler over all of Aegea.

Aegea was a small kingdom built on a pennisula. It never grew cold here, though there was a significant rainy season in the warmer months, and we had plenty of resources to remain self-sufficient so we didn't need to rely on any other countries for trade. From the time we were old enough to understand, all the children of Aegea were taught that all of our prosperity was thanks to the grace of our king. Chosen by destiny instead of heredity- each ruler had been deemed worthy to rule by Azuros, the God of the Sea and Patron of Aegea, and each were granted the skills necessary to be the best possible ruler for their reign. Nobody in Aegea would have dared overthrow him; it never would have crossed any of our minds.

I'd seen the king once, when my father had been elected mayor the first time we were all invited to the palace, and while I was only a small child I could remember thinking he was the most wonderful person I'd ever seen. His clothing was so deep a blue that it was more beautiful than even the sea, and he had the kindest eyes. On his forehead was what appeared to be a strange, swirling tattoo that was so deep a blue it was almost black, fascinated, and too young to realize that I was being rude, I reached over from my father's arms and touched it. The memory of the hum of power that shuddered through me would always be incredibly vivid, and his actions afterwards even more so- though my father would hardly have let me forget it, since he loved telling the tale to anyone who would listen.

While my father apologized profusely for my lack of manners and began to scold me, the king had laughed, his voice a gentle rumble. He reached out to take me from my father's arms and held me tightly.

"Curiosity should be encouraged Gideon, not punished. Her spirit will serve her well with what is to come, be careful not to stifle it," he said. And my father never had since, which probably accounted for my current state of wildness. The king rarely offered such words of premonition, but rumor was that Azuros had blessed him with the gift of foresight- a talent useful in ensuring prosperity and peace, though he never used his gift liberally.

I suppose it was the nature of our king that convinced us that even though the sight of the great ships was slightly troubling, we could trust that everything would be fine- after all, he would have known if something was wrong.

And yet, not once had anyone in Aegea contemplated on the idea that our peaceful land might be coveted by someone else. So instead of running away, or preparing ourselves for a battle as we ought to have been, we watched the ships approach and trusted that Azuros and our king would protect us. In short, we were fools- only we just hadn't realized it yet.

It was only Elphis, Gabriyel's mother, who felt as though something was amiss, and I remember her running towards the beach and scooping her son up in her arms.

"Come now Gabriyel, we must leave now," she said in her usual gentle way, although I could see the fear in her cerulean eyes- just the same as her son's.

"Where are we going, mother? I want to stay with Liran and watch the boats come in! There are so many!" he laughed.

"This time I'm afraid that I cannot sate your curiousity. Liran, boys, you ought to return to your homes as well- quickly now," Elphis ordered, and although she wasn't my own mother, who'd died giving birth to me, she treated me just the same as if she was. Although I'd never admit it, I secretly enjoyed feeling like part of a family with her and Gabriyel, since my father was usually so occupied with his duties that otherwise I'd have been alone.

I had barely made a few steps before I saw my father running towards us, clearly searching the crowd for me.

"Elphis," he acknowledged the fair woman as he took me in his arms. I watched as his wise, green eyes, so like my own, as they examined her. Even as a young child I could tell when my father was formulating an important train of thought.

"Gideon," she replied, still clinging to Gabriyel and brushing off the sand he'd gotten all over his brown tunic.

"You are not from here, and I sense you recognize these ships and trust your judgement. Do we have aught to fear?" he asked, his tone starkly serious.

Elphis' lips pursed and she cast her gaze to the sand. It was clear she knew a great deal more about what was happening than she was willing to share, but she paused in her flight enough to issue a warning.

"You should go to your king, Gideon. No one in Aegea is safe anymore. The man who owns those ships has no regard for your God- he believes only in his own power and that which he can take from others. I suggest you advise these people to flee to the palace immediately. Perhaps then, they might be safe," she suggested, adjusting the scarf on her head to ensure it was properly secured. My father took another glance at the ships, now not so very far from our shores, and began to follow Elphis' advice. Yet, when arrows of fire began to rain down on the beach, so much panic erupted that it became a nearly impossible task.

I lost sight of Verocles and Eborous in the crowd, and began to get pushed away from even my father while the first horrors of battle met my eyes. I wanted to be strong for Gabriyel, who had begun to cry into his mother's chiton as she stood rigid in fear at the scene around her.

I watched my father in the distance, as he tried to create order around him, ushering people away from the shoreline and deeper into the city. I made a move to go to him before Elphis held me back.

"We must flee to safety Liran, your father would want you as far away from here as we can get," she urged, but I shook my head vehemently.

"I won't leave him here!" I argued, my young mind too naive to understand the dangers I would have been putting myself in if I stayed. Elphis kneeled before me, and took my face in her hands.

"Liran, my son needs your help to stay strong, as well. He might be older, but he looks up to you for guidance. Show him what it means to have courage." I looked at Gabriyel cowering in fear, and knew that Elphis must be right, so I took his hand in my own and began to lead him away from the beach.

Still, it didn't matter how far we managed to flee, for before we managed to even reach the gates of the palace armed men were upon us, reigning us in with whips and spears as if we were nothing more than cattle. I held Gabriyel close to me, his frail body shivering with fear as we watched the strangers from another land storm into the home of our king with little thought to how sacred, how important the palace was to us. There was little to dissuade them, as we'd never needed protecting before. The only guards King Cyrus had ever had were there for peacekeeping, not warmongering.

"Don't worry Gabe," I whispered. "I'll protect you, I promise!"

"I wish I was strong enough to protect myself, to protect all of you," he whimpered. "But I can't even play a game of cat and mouse properly. I'm useless!"

"Don't talk about yourself that way! Besides, the king will save us. It doesn't matter how many soldiers have come to defeat us, they never will because he was chosen by Azuros to keep us safe!"

"If Azuros really cared about us, this wouldn't be happening to begin with. Obviously a sea god can't do much on land," Gabe said, full of bitterness, but I silenced him with a quick smack on the arm.

"You shouldn't speak about the sea god that way, Gabriyel," his mother scolded, though in my heart I almost agreed with him, my faith waning the more I took in the view around me.

I wished my father was there. I needed his guidance and his strength, but I hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since I'd left the beach some time ago. More than anything I wanted him to tell me that everything would be alright, in the same way I'd tried to comfort Gabriyel. Perhaps if he did, I wouldn't have felt the dread of doubt begin to wash over me.

We were being ushered into the main courtyard of the palace. The usually vibrant marble columns now reflecting the light of crimson flames that were stretching over the city more quickly than they should. The sky, so blue not long ago had turned black with smoke and ash. Screams of fear and shouts of angry authority ruined the gentle sounds of waves and gull cries that I was used to hearing instead. The only pleasant sensations I felt were Gabe's hand in mine, and his mother's arms around me. Elphis was humming softly, trying to calm the both of us down. She had the most beautiful voice, and somehow despite how frightened I felt, the lilting melody washed warmth over my friend and me. It calmed our beating hearts - that was until a commotion began to stir amongst the crowd of gathered citizens.

We all watched as a strange man descended the steps of the palace. His hair was unlike anything I'd ever seen- it was so unnatural a red it must have been dyed, though I'd never before encountered such a thing. It hung in locks so dark a red it was like blood, and it blended in to the deep colour of his robes. A golden circlet sat on his head, adorned with rubies that gathered the light of the fire around us and shone dangerously.

What was more astonishing however, was the sight of our king in great, iron chains- for although he descended the dais as calmly as ever, it was alarming for the rest of us to see our leader bound, with swords at his back.

"People of Beacon," The strange man shouted to the crowd, drawing a golden sword from the scabbard at his side until it effortlessly rested against the neck of the king, although he didn't so much as flinch at the threat.

"Your city has fallen. I suggest you do not attempt to retaliate, as there is only so much leniency I am willing to offer you," he said. His voice was deep and smooth, but despite the fact that he didn't sound as if he were attempting to be intimidating, hearing it still made me feel as though he were cutting me with a blade.

The crowd of my people whispered back and forth amongst themselves. Who was this man? Why had he brought his men here? Certainly we hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment from complete strangers. Gideon will have a plan. Our king would save us.

"As a sign of my good will," the man continued, while he gestured to his men behind us. "I am willing to spare the life of this man, your leader, who thought he might convince others to stand against me." My heart clenched in my chest as I watched the red-cloaked soldiers drag my father to the dais and tossed him against the stone mercilessly. His face was so covered in lumps and bruises it was barely recognizable, and his arms were covered in cuts that bled onto the white marble beneath him. I wanted to cry out, to run to him and hold him in my arms, yet Elphis tightened her arms around me and held me close.

"Hush Liran, there is nothing we can do for him now. Gideon would be furious if I allowed you to put yourself in harm's way," she whispered, and despite the fact I usually thought that crying was for babies, I began to weep anyway. Gabriyel's hand in mine was warm and unusually strong as he sought to support me.

"Why have you come here?" my father demanded, angrily, before one of the soldiers kicked him firmly in his stomach. The red man smiled and held his hand out to tell them to stop.

""Now, now. There is certainly no need for more violence. The man's question is a fair one," he drawled, before bending down and pushing upwards on my father's chin so that he could look upon them.

"I am Archelaus, the second son of the Emporer of Ines. I have come because your little kingdom is perfectly situated to give Ines a stronghold in this area. Furthermore, Aegea has in surplus a resource which my people require greatly in order to thrive here," he said, his voice eerily calm and reasonable despite his words. I had never before heard of Ines, though it was quite clear that Elphis had, since the red man's words did not seem to surprise her at all. It seemed as though her prediction from the beach was coming true all too soon and I shivered at the thought.

"And what resource might that be?" my father demanded, his eyes narrowed in defiance.

"Why, slaves, of course. We cannot be expected to work the land ourselves, nor do the people of Ines enjoy paying for labour which we can gain through sheer force. I understand that this might be a problem for you, however you will not be treated poorly if you do as you're told."

"How dare you! The people of this place are not yours to command!" my father exclaimed, and although he made a move to lash out against Archelaus, soldiers were on him before he could do any real harm. The red man just laughed, as if it were all a good joke, and I seethed with anger and fear.

"Perhaps I've changed my mind," he said, in between bouts of laughter. "I have decided that I rather like the idea of using you as an example. I can't have my new slaves rebelling, now can I?" he continued with a smile.

Time seemed to move slower then, as if fate wanted me to remember every little detail, whether I wished to or not. I saw Archelaus swing his golden blade, and in the split second before it reached my father's neck, his eyes met mine proudly, almost as if he were telling me not to be afraid. Yet, before I saw the fatal blow, Elphis' palm covered my eyes, blinding me to the devastation, though the cries of those around me made it very clear what had happened. Fear kept me from calling out, though I wanted to shout my sorrow loud enough for everyone around me to hear.

"I'm so sorry, Liran," Gabriyel whispered, the tears in his own eyes mirroring mine, but I could say nothing, only watch as I witnessed true evil for the first time in my young life. It was as if there was a pit in my stomach, and it tightened around me like a noose until I felt physically ill.

King Cyrus spoke for the first time, and despite the fact he was so tightly bound that he couldn't move regardless of his struggles, his expression spoke volumes.

"You have come to my kingdom to murder and enslave its people, but I warn you, stranger from a strange land- it is only your own death that awaits you here. Leave now, before you create another fatherless child, and perhaps Azuros will take pity on you," he stated coldly, ignoring the steel at his throat. Archelaus grinned and moved over to him.

"I have heard tales of you, King Cyrus. They say your god has granted you with the gift of prophecy to aid you in ruling your people. But know this- I don't believe in your god, nor your prophecies. I only trust in my own strength, and it is telling me quite clearly that I have already achieved victory here. Tell me, for all your supposed power, have you foreseen this moment? Have you seen your own death?"

"You can kill me now Archelaus, but I will live on. The Sea God shall find another to rule over this land in my stead, and when he does, for all of your great power, you will fall."

Archelaus' grin faded, and he narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Well, we shall just need to ensure that such a thing doesn't happen, won't we?" he said. In that moment, the king's blood joined my father's on that sword- and the world around us turned to pandemonium.

The people of Beacon tried to escape the soldiers, pushing and screaming to get away- as if there were somewhere for us to go. I had gotten separated from my friends in the crowd, my emotions in such turmoil that I could hardly breathe, let alone try to escape. I hardly realized when Elphis grabbed my hand and pulled, grasping Gabe with her other side.

"We must go, child," she said, and I watched as the soldiers began to cut people down all around us.

"Flee!" I heard Archelaus' voice echo all around us. "You have nowhere to run that I will not find you!"

I had never run so quickly, and as Elphis led us in and out of passageways through the city I hardly had the strength to stand any longer. Gabriyel was doing even more poorly than I was, and the sight of him struggling so much to escape shamed me. My father would not have desired me to behave so passively when I needed to help my friend. There would be time to grieve later.

Somehow, the thought sobered me, and I spun around to take a hold of Gabriyel's other hand to help Elphis pull him along.

"Where are we going, mother?" he wondered frantically, and I had to admit that I had the same question. Archelaus had made it very clear that there was nowhere for us to run, and even now, I could hear the sounds of his soldiers chasing others nearby.

"We must go to the water, and pray that Azuros guides us," she said as she led us to the banks of the river Stygia. Feeding off of the ocean, the river was a profitable area for fishing, though as children we were often told to stay away from it due to the strong currents that formed there. Father had always warned me not to play there, but especially so this season, as the water was the highest it had been for many years. But now, despite all of the warnings otherwise, Elphis was leading us to one of the fishing boats and urging us to get on.

"But it's not our boat, we can't just take it!" Gabriyel argued.

"We haven't a choice. Surely the owner will understand. Now get in quickly," she said, but the shout of a soldier caused her to turn around.

"You there, woman! Stop what you're doing immediately!" the man ordered, but he only spurred Elphis on faster as she ignored the hem of her chiton and began to push the small fishing boat out further into the river.

"Halt!" the soldier continued to yell, and with a great push, both Gabriyel and I set adrift without her.

"Mother, you need to get in!" he shouted, but she shook her head.

"I will keep them away from you. I love you my son, and I always will- but I must give you this chance to live. Keep him safe Liran," she said with a smile, and began to walk towards them, her head held high. Gabriyel was crying now, big, wet tears dripping down his pale face and making him look all red and blotchy, so I put my arms around him and held him tight.

"We will come back Gabe, I promise," I tried to reassure him, but just then, a great lurching wave began to force the boat to sway violently, and I watched with horror as we began to approach swirling rapids with rocks that were tall and sharp enough to do our boat a great deal of damage. Yet, we couldn't go back to shore, as red-cloaked guards followed the path of the river, catching others who hoped to escape as we had.

"What do we do Gabe?" I asked, trying my hardest to be brave like my father would have wanted.

"Mother said to get away from here, so that's what we've got to do Liran. Don't be afraid, we'll be together, no matter what happens," he called back, his voice getting lost in the sounds of the crashing water below us.

Perhaps if I hadn't called out to him, we might have seen the rock straight in our path. If I would have braced him against the collision, and held him in my arms, I might have helped him reach safety. But I failed Elphis in my promise to protect him. As we were jerked off of the fishing boat I cried out, lunging to reach for my friend- but the current was too strong for me to swim as I ought to have been able to, and Gabe's legs were far too weak to keep him afloat. I watched as he bobbed to the surface, spitting out the taste of salt water and trying his best not to choke while he looked for something- anything, to keep him alive a moment longer. And then he disappeared beneath the water, and I didn't see him rise again.

I struggled myself, calling out his name over and over again while searching frantically for any sign of his presence as I clung to one of the rocks that had caused such a disaster to begin with.

But the only sign of him was a single, leather shoe that whipped through the rapids too quickly for me to catch it. I shouted again and again, until my voice was hoarse with tears and strain- and when the red-cloaks used a rope to pull me free from the rapids, using it later to bind my hands behind me, I knew that because of me, Gabriyel was dead, just like my father and the king before him.

It was the last thought I'd ever have while still a free woman.


End file.
